Great Test Day Tips for Final Exams from the College Board

Whether you're studying for the FCAT, or any of your final exams here in South Florida, the College Board, designers of the SAT, have some great tips for you on their website. In addition to these handy tips, students should get familiar with the College Board website, in order to learn as much as possible about their upcoming tests.

"Exam Day: I Will Survive

Essential Test-Taking Tips

Try out these strategies while you're still in high school, and by the time you get to college, you'll be a test-taking expert.

Before the Test

Eat well.

Studies show that you need good nutrition to concentrate and perform your best.

Bring the right supplies.

Bring your pencils, erasers, pens, rulers, compasses, calculators, or whatever else you'll need on test day.

Review the whole test before you start.

See how many sections and what types of questions are on the test. Consider how much time to allow for each section, basing your decision on the point value of each. You don't want to spend too much time on a question that counts for only a few points.

Jot down your first thoughts.

From your first look at the test, take quick notes on ideas you might forget. For example, you may want to outline your answers to written response and essay questions right away.

During the Test

Read the directions.

Never assume that you know what the directions say. For example, some questions may have more than one correct answer.

Answer easy questions first.

Answering easier questions may jog your memory about useful facts. You may also come across information that can help you with other questions.

Answer every question.

Unless there's a penalty for wrong answers, it can't hurt to try.

Ask questions.

If a question isn't clear, talk to your teacher. If that's not possible, explain your answer in the margin.

Identify key words.

This will help you focus on the main idea of challenging questions.

Rephrase difficult questions.

To understand questions better, rewrite them in your own words, but be careful not to change the meaning.

Organize your thoughts before you write.

Spend some time organizing your responses to short-answer and essay questions. You'll reduce the time you need to revise.

Write neatly.

Be sure you don't lose points on answers the instructor can't read.

Use all of the time you're given.

If you finish early, don't race out. Use the extra time to proofread and edit your answers."

SAT Test Tips - Test Day is May 2

The SAT Test has once again arrived! This is the fourth test of the season, and at this point, most of you in Miami-Dade and South Florida are starting to feel the pressure. It is very important for those who are taking the test tomorrow to channel those feelings of pressure and anxiety into a constructive performance high. To help relieve some worries about Saturday's test, JLP has put together some tips to follow before the big exam.

Test Day Tips:

* Get a good night's sleep before the test. Make sure that you slumber for at least eight hours.
* The test is several hours long, so eat breakfast. Make sure you consume the right amount of proteins to give you the kick-start you need.
* When eating breakfast, complete a few test questions in order to fully awaken your brain.
* Bring Photo ID and your SAT Admission Ticket.
* Bring two No. 2 pencils and a good eraser—a pencil is required for the multiple-choice questions and the essay. Mechanical pencils are not allowed because they may have the wrong type of lead or punch through the answer sheet. Pens are not allowed.
* Bring a calculator with fresh batteries.
* Bring snacks. You will get a short break at the end of each hour of testing time. You can eat or drink any snacks you have brought with you during these breaks. A healthy snack will go a long way toward keeping you alert during the entire test.
* Unless otherwise instructed, you need to arrive at your assigned test center by 7:45 a.m. Make sure you give yourself an hour to get there. Most times, a test is not given at the student's home school, so it may be difficult finding certain locations and rooms upon arrival. It is better to arrive early and use that time to study, instead of rushing due to tardiness. Testing should be completed between 12:30 and 1 p.m.


To receive more exclusive tips and strategies on each section of the test, please visit our group page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=122990755569 It is an open group, so feel free to join!

Now get out there and make Florida proud!

SAT information and Tips from the Family Education Network

We found the Family Education Network when we were looking for resource sites that provide free and useful information about learning in general, and the SAT in particular. Check out these great tips:

"The SAT Is Not Like Your School Tests

I'm sure you know kids who don't do so well in school, yet somehow manage to ace standardized tests like the SAT. And you probably know other students who do really well in school, yet when it comes to the SAT these same students don't do nearly as well—and sometimes even bomb the test completely.

Why do so many bright students have so much trouble on the SAT? Because taking the SAT is nothing like taking tests in school. I mean nothing like it.

• To take one obvious example, school tests rarely last more than an hour.

Not the SAT. On the SAT you've got to stay mentally focused for over three hours.

• On school tests, your teachers give more weight to the more difficult questions. So it makes sense to spend more time on those questions than on easier ones—they're worth more.

Not on the SAT. On the SAT, all questions are worth the same, so it doesn't make sense to spend more time on hard questions. But that's exactly what most students do.

• On school tests, your teachers generally give partial credit for partial answers. If your answer to a long, complicated math question was mostly right, except for a "silly mistake," your math teacher would probably give you nearly full credit. If your answer on an English test was not the one the teacher was looking for, but you made a good argument for it, your English teacher would give you at least some credit—possibly full credit for originality!

Not on the SAT. There's only one right answer for each question, and no partial credit for anything else. On the SAT there's no such thing as just a careless mistake since any mistake costs you full credit, and then some.

Those are just a few of the many differences between the SAT and the tests you're used to taking. They may seem to be minor differences, but these differences will have a major impact on how you'll have to change the way you take the SAT if you want to achieve your maximum score.

Trust me: even if you're an excellent student—

• if you solve SAT math questions the way you're used to solving math questions in class
• if you read SAT passages the way you're used to reading novels or even your textbooks
• if you compose an SAT essay the way you're used to writing essays in English class

—then you're in for a rude surprise on the SAT. You'll need to learn a whole new set of skills for the SAT. Indeed, many of the academic and test-taking skills that lead to success in the classroom will work against you on the SAT."

Test Day Tips for 3/14/09 SAT Exam

Dear Friends:

The SAT Test has once again arrived! This is the third test of the season, and at this point, most of you are starting to feel the pressure. It is very important for those who are taking the test tomorrow to channel those feelings of pressure and anxiety into a constructive performance high. To help relieve some worries about Saturday's test, JLP has put together some tips to follow before the big exam.

Test Day Tips:

• Get a good night's sleep before the test. Make sure that you slumber for at least eight hours.
• The test is several hours long, so eat breakfast. Make sure you consume the right amount of proteins to give you the kick-start you need.
• When eating breakfast, complete a few test questions in order to fully awaken your brain.
• Bring Photo ID and your SAT Admission Ticket.
• Bring two No. 2 pencils and a good eraser—a pencil is required for the multiple-choice questions and the essay. Mechanical pencils are not allowed because they may have the wrong type of lead or punch through the answer sheet. Pens are not allowed.
• Bring a calculator with fresh batteries.
• Bring snacks. You will get a short break at the end of each hour of testing time. You can eat or drink any snacks you have brought with you during these breaks. A healthy snack will go a long way toward keeping you alert during the entire test.
• Unless otherwise instructed, you need to arrive at your assigned test center by 7:45 a.m. Make sure you give yourself an hour to get there. Most times, a test is not given at the student's home school, so it may be difficult finding certain locations and rooms upon arrival. It is better to arrive early and use that time to study, instead of rushing due to tardiness. Testing should be completed between 12:30 and 1 p.m.

To receive more exclusive tips and strategies on each section of the test, please visit our group page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=122990755569 It is an open group, so feel free to join!